


Woke Up This Morning

by Raine_Wynd



Series: PPDC Photo Album [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Drift Side Effects, Fifteen-Minute Fic, Gen, Human Imperfection, Inspired by Music, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Revised Version, Slice of Life, Snapshots, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-26 10:45:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3848035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raine_Wynd/pseuds/Raine_Wynd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A snapshot of Scott Hansen, one morning before Operation Pitfall. Inspired by A3's song of the same name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Woke Up This Morning

Scott Hansen is not the asshole he’s been made out to be, but like any truth, it depends on who’s telling the tale. He loved the attention, sure - toss any guy into a sea of monsters and then ask him if he minded getting a few perks as rewards for killing said monsters. It’s just…he wasn’t a fighter, not like his brother. He was the guy who didn’t start a fight, but would end one. He’s the one who has to live with the fact that in the middle of a fight against a Category III kaiju, he froze like some damned rookie. He’s not proud of that moment. He doesn't like remembering the way Herc swore at him. Or how Herc then _shoved_ , and took over like he Scott was just a body in that jaeger, a puppet for the PPDC’s most drift-compatible, most successful jaeger pilot.

Scott doesn’t like how that moment has left him with echoes of the Drift stuck permanently. He wakes up sometimes and has to look at the tattoos on his hands to be sure he’s still Scott and not Herc. His brother would’ve never tattooed Lucky Seven’s name on his fingers. Herc was always diligent about sticking to regs about visible ink, even if the PPDC didn’t care too much as long as it could be all covered up in photos and video.

Today is not a good day. The echoes of the Drift mean that Scott can tell that his brother is gearing up for something big, something that hurts. Given what Scott’s heard from the media, it probably means one of Marshal fucking Pentecost’s grand plans. Scott resigns himself to spending the day scouring the Internet for news; he knows better than to listen to the official government version. A part of him wishes he could just ignore it all, but he’s tried. He’s gotten drunk, and he’s gotten stoned and he’s spent the day fucking just to keep the noise in his head quiet, but the Drift won’t quit. It’s like the sensation of being on the water long after he’s stepped on dry land. It's just disconcerting enough that even though it’s been six years, he’s still floundering for his balance. The worst part is that he can't pick up the phone or send a text or email to find out from his brother or his nephew to find out what's happening. Scott burned those bridges, too; he had no impulse control and a ton of rage at being barred from being allowed back in a conn-pod. He's had plenty of time to reflect on how badly he fucked up. He'd once taken pride in the fact that his brother relied upon him to look after Chuck when he couldn't, back when giant alien monsters were the stuff of movies. Now that he can't even talk to either of them.

Out of habit, Scott checks his phone to see the news of the day. Tapping on the app brings up an auto-playing video, so Scott hears the newscaster playing a soundbite of the announcement of the closure of the Sydney Shatterdome. It just hammers in the truth Scott has been living for the past six years.

If he growls a bit at the first person to greet him when he steps outside or swears at the driver going too slow or snaps at the barista getting his coffee, he's not an asshole. He’s just trying to deal with being an ex-jaeger pilot, thank you very fucking much, and woe anyone who thinks he should be more forgiving. The world doesn’t need ex-jaeger pilots, especially ones named Scott Hansen.


End file.
